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My American friends seem to enjoy Montreal. I don't think they feel much cultural difference from wherever they were from.
• Is it recommended to apply for Canadian citizenship if you plan to stay?
Most of my American friends got their Permanent Residency, at least. You could potentially just keep extending your Work Permit, but if you can get your documents, why not.
• What is housing like around the university?
There's an area right next to McGill called McGill Ghetto. It's mostly condos and some duplexes. a lot of young students, partying and mess. but i guess the rent is not that expensive considering that you are smack downtown. you wouldn't need a metro pass if you lived there.
most locals don't live in McGill Ghetto.
• Issues to be aware of.
cold weather - pretty much the same weather as Upper Midwest. but you get used to the seasons.
My American friends seem to enjoy Montreal. I don't think they feel much cultural difference from wherever they were from.
• Is it recommended to apply for Canadian citizenship if you plan to stay?
Most of my American friends got their Permanent Residency, at least. You could potentially just keep extending your Work Permit, but if you can get your documents, why not.
• What is housing like around the university?
There's an area right next to McGill called McGill Ghetto. It's mostly condos and some duplexes. a lot of young students, partying and mess. but i guess the rent is not that expensive considering that you are smack downtown. you wouldn't need a metro pass if you lived there.
most locals don't live in McGill Ghetto.
• Issues to be aware of.
cold weather - pretty much the same weather as Upper Midwest. but you get used to the seasons.
Adding to that: Public transit is just a way of life in Montreal in general. Everyone from the poor to company execs use it. Key difference between it there and most cities in the US is that the network is VAST, and schedules are very accommodating to all, at all hours of day and night. And they are much cleaner. MUCH cleaner.
The cold, like you said, you get used to. Adding to that the fact that the city does a terrific job at providing shelter from the weather, with the underground city, vast underground networks of tunnels, walkways, shops, etc. You can literally spend your entire day only having to step outside twice: once in the morning to leave your home, and again in the evening when you return. If you're working and doing business in the city, you can pretty much get around the entire place without stepping outside.
I've visited Toronto during the World's Fair many years ago but no other travel in Canada.
Grew up in Montreal, and still have family there. Son is a 4th year McGill student. I have lived in USA for decades.
1- Hard to say. It's not like Americans come out of a box. As long as you have a somewhat open mind and are willing to embrace change(nothing drastic) you should be fine. Your ability to speak French will be a huge asset, and open up the city for you.
2- Not really, Permanent Residence is usually enough, unless you want to vote.
3- Well, the Student Ghetto is right beside McGill. Very handy, but if you are going to stay long term you might want to investigate quieter areas a bit further away. Traditionally, if you go west from McGill you get more English speaking neighbourhoods, to the East more French, though in recent years things have gotten more mixed. Outremont is a very nice area just to the north and east from McGill. The Plateau is just to the east of that, with lower priced housing and a very diverse mix. Westmount is just to the west of Mcgill. Higher proportion of English. A lot of old money. Further to the west is NDG, a pleasant residential, but urban area. Less advantaged. If you wish you can live downtown, which is very close to McGill, or very reachable(10-15 minutes) by Metro. Further south from downtown is Old Montreal. It is where the old port was, cobblestoned streets, 200-300 year old buildings, some lovely landmarks, great restaurants,etc. Touristy. Also easy to reach by Metro. These are just a few of the neighbourhoods available within 20 minutes or less from McGill either by foot or subway.
4- Look into health care. It might be provided for you as part of your job with the University, regardless of your status, but as soon as you have PR, you get it for free, or next to free compared to the US. The savings can be in the 5 digits per year compared to the USA. On the downside, taxes will be much higher, and be more punishing the more you make. Prices in real estate and rental housing have shot up recently, but are reasonable compared to some areas of the US like the coasts, not so reasonable compared to a place like Iowa or Kansas. Certainly far cheaper than Toronto. The winter is real. Quite a bit of snow. Cold, but no more so than Minneapolis. It's part of the culture there to dress for the cold. Winter boots, and winter coats are part of the fashion. It's really a personal thing as to whether you can handle it. Some actually enjoy it. The skiing, and apres-ski both to the north and south of Montreal is great, as are the winter activities in general. There are some very pleasant summer vacation areas there too.
Basically, if you have a decent paying job in Montreal, and can speak French and English well, life can be pretty good. Montreal feels like a big city, with all of the cultural opportunities and more due to it's age and uniqueness, but is really more mid sized, so it doesn't have the mega city problems that places like Toronto, Philly, and Houston have. It's also a direct flight to many destinations in the USA and Europe, if that is important to you.
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